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Interview: JUDD MADDEN Takes Us Down Under

Photo by O’nev Ciclisimo Fotografia

A while back I was doing what I often do, skimming Bandcamp for rad new bands. Eventually I stumbled across Judd Madden, a multi-instrumentalist from Australia who has a penchant for putting out numerous releases per year. After enjoying his music for so long, I finally sat down to chat with the man himself. Continue on to see what Judd has to say about being consistent on his albums, his latest release and what inspires him.

Hello there. How are things going down under?
G’day. Things are going great!

Tell me a bit about yourself, Judd. How did you begin making music?I started on piano and drums from an early age, and we had guitars laying around the house so I kinda picked that up too. I’ve always jammed with friends, and have been in lots of bands over the years. Music has just always been there.

Has this project always been a one-man venture?
Yes, I wanted to explore and create in my own time, with no restrictions and no schedule. I have started collaborating more, but primarily it’s a solo adventure. I think of it like writing a book; it’s a singular vision. I work in design, with many conflicting opinions on every project, so it’s nice to make something where I have complete control.

You not only put out numerous albums every year, but they are all consistently heavy and powerful. How do you stay consistent after so many releases?Thanks! It’s a lot faster to record an album with just one person. So, even though it seems like I’m releasing a lot, I’m only really spending a couple of months in production.

The rest of the year I’m just gathering ideas. My process is pretty refined now, so I can focus on the riffs and the structure of the songs without worrying about the technical aspects.

Eight albums over five years, how have you not been offered a recording contract yet?

I dunno! I certainly haven’t been chasing one. And honestly, I’m not sure what it would change; I don’t play live, I don’t need help recording or producing, I’m not interested in profits. I guess it would be great for exposure, but I’m not too worried about that either.

Where do you draw the majority of your inspiration from?

Mostly from other musicians, from lots of genres. Plenty of doom / post-metal / stoner, but I like exploring the edges of jazz, experimental, electro, ambient… anything really. The natural world is pretty influential on me too, which carries through to the themes of my albums. We’re all influenced by everything we interact with, so it’s important too fill your life with people and things you enjoy.

Your most recent album “Waterfall II” is, what, a reinterpretation of your debut album? Where did the idea for this come from?

I guess you could describe it like that. It’s brand new music, written around the same themes (and same song titles) as the first album.

The album is about cycles, and repetition, so it made sense to do it again. I wanted to push it, and have a lot of variation in the music.

I think it confused some people, but it’s pretty simple: new album, new music, same track names.

A lot of bands of your caliber and quality charge a set fee for their albums but you put all of yours under up for “pay-what-you-want.” Why not just set a price?

I’m not doing this for the money. If people want to donate they can – it’s appreciated and will go toward making better music.

But it doesn’t cost much to self-release digitally as I do, so it’s all good. For the love of doom.

What’s next for you, Judd? Any more albums to be released before the end of the year?

Haha, no I’m done for a little while. There are some ideas brewing, and I have a few collaborative projects on the go, so we’ll see.

Right now I’m focusing on video games and life, heh.

Any parting words of wisdom from you? Anything to inspire the next generation of musicians?

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